Severe alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) cases and deaths are the rise,1 creating a pressing need for hepatologists to deliver high quality, high impact care to patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Most patients with ALD also have alcohol use disorder (AUD), and effective ALD care requires treating both disorders.2 Beyond giving advice to abstain, however, many hepatologists lack the training to take evidence-based steps to assess the severity of AUD in these patients and advise them accordingly.2
A new, free CME activity from NIH can help. The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol consists of 14 concise, practical articles written for physicians and other healthcare providers who are not addiction specialists. The current, evidence-based content can help them to deliver:
- Quick AUD assessments using a new, simple, validated checklist that patients can fill out in routine care, which provides a direct DSM diagnosis of AUD and its level of severity
- A menu of evidence-based AUD treatment options for patients to consider, including AUD-focused behavioral healthcare and FDA-approved medications for AUD
- Quality referrals for specialty AUD care using an authoritative “treatment navigator” for locating providers and programs that deliver evidence-based care that meets individual patient needs
- Insights and strategies to support recovery including knowledge about the dynamic change process, tips for preventing or recovering from a return to heavy drinking, and links to self-help modules for managing urges to drink and refusing drink offers
The Core Resource on Alcohol was produced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of NIH, with the help of 70 contributors, including many practicing healthcare professionals. Each article provides .75 to 1.0 CME credit hours, or up to 10.75 hours total. Visit the Core Resource at niaaa.nih.gov/CoreResourceOnAlcohol and send any comments to NIAAACoreResource@nih.gov.
1. Dang K, Hirode G, Singal AK, Sundaram V, Wong RJ. Alcoholic Liver Disease Epidemiology in the United States: A Retrospective Analysis of 3 US Databases. Am J Gastroenterol. 2020 Jan;115(1):96–104.
2. DiMartini AF, Leggio L, Singal AK. Barriers to the management of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver disease: strategies to implement integrated care models. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Feb;7(2):186-195.